Of Flames and Icicles
by General Jinjur
Summary: A strange girl lands in her space ship and wants to kill Usagi! But who is she really? And how does she know so much about the Senshi? A story of ancient betrayals and new-found forgiveness. Chp 4 up please r/r.
1. The Darkness of the Past Hotaru's Stran...

While walking along my street one day, I found an old lamp in the gutter. 'Hey,' I thought, ' maybe it's magic and will give me wishes!' I eagerly rubbed it and out popped a fat purple genie. 'Master,' he said, ' your wish is my command. You have three wishes to make.' The first thing out of my mouth was, ' I wish I own Sailor Moon!' 'Sorry, no can do,' he said, ' It's already owned by Naoko Tekuchi and a bunch of other companies.' 'Um... okay, how about My Little Pony?' 'Nope, Hasbro and Disney.' 'The Wizard of Oz?' 'The Baum family, MGM studios, and a whole mess of other people.' I pondered a while on what to wish for, then it came to me. ' I wish that I can own my characters. I wish that people would not copy my character or other peoples explicitly, (they can use the name, I didn't originally make up the term "Sailor", Naoko did). And I wish that people would review my stories, good or bad.' 'Done, although the last one is a bit iffy, I can't make people review, they have to do it out of the goodness of their hearts.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
The Darkness of the Past. Hotaru's Strange Dream.  
  
" Are you sure you will be all right by yourself baby?"  
  
" Cut it out Mom! Of course I'll be okay. I'm just going a few hundred light years away, and it's not like I've never flown a spaceship before. Besides, you and sis are coming after me tomorrow."  
  
" I wish you would wait and go with us, why don't you want to be at your sister's party?"  
  
" She doesn't need me there, she has all her friends to help her celebrate it."  
  
Making a face at the thought the girl turned to get into the ship.  
  
" Princess Aveta will be there," the mother said softly.  
  
The girl stopped and turned slowly, a look of uncertainty crossed her young face.  
  
" I know, but..." she paused unsure how to continue, her mother looking at her expectantly.  
  
" It's just that... I don't think we're friends anymore. Lately she's been with sis and Princess Sakti and all the others and I just feel out of place. Anyway, if I go ahead of you guys there will be time for me to visit Borealis."  
  
Nodding her head, the older woman looked at her daughter sadly and motioned her to her. Holding her close she kissed the top of her head and stepped back.  
  
Looking at her at arms length she smiled, " I will never get used to how short your hair is now, and that color," she shook her head, " I wish you had chosen something more natural looking."  
  
" Mo-om, there's nothing wrong with my hair, Princess Yemana's hair is teal and it's natural. Ice blue is a perfectly natural hair color and no one can tell mine isn't."  
  
" Don't you want to wait and say goodbye to your sister? She is just finishing the last details of her party."  
  
" She's probably too busy staring off into space again. It won't break her heart if I leave without saying goodbye."  
  
With that, the girl turned and strode to the ship, leaving her mother's protests to fly away into the wind. Climbing into the cockpit, the familiar whoosh of the door comforted her. She yawned and leaned back in her chair, cracking her knuckles in the way her mother particularly hated: pulling the fingers one by one out of their joints.  
  
" On the road again at last," she sighed as she punched some figures into a few of the many buttons on the control panel. As the engines roared into life, she eased back on the control stick and began to leave the atmosphere of her home.  
  
On the ground her mother stood, her arm up in a motionless wave, lavender pigtails blowing in the breeze. And then, she was gone. Out of her life again. Suddenly, her older daughter came flying down he stairs, blonde hair trailing wildly behind her.  
  
" Where...is she?" she huffed as she looked around, her blue eyes finally settling on her mother.  
  
" She left without saying goodbye again didn't she," the words twisted out of the slight girl in a stifled sob. There was no question in her hollow tone.  
  
" She said that you would not care, do you have any idea what she meant?"  
  
" No, why would she think that? Of course it upsets me!" she said angrily, twirling one pigtail with her finger. " I want to go now too, cancel the party."  
  
" You cannot cancel your birthday party now. I see the first guests arriving already."  
  
As they looked, they saw two ships landing nearby and finely dressed people stepping out of them. The queen led her daughter over to the first group of people.  
  
While greeting the people, her mind was nagged with a shadowy doubt. What had changed her happy daughter into the recluse she had just said goodbye to? Inwardly she shook her head, ' For her sake I hope it is not what I am thinking.'  
  
Continuing on into the ballroom, she seated herself in the throne and continued the social niceties while only half attentive. She noticed her daughter dancing with a masked man and wondered who it was. Then, the two slipped away in the direction of the balcony. Just as the queen was getting up to find them, a great crash rocked the palace flinging her onto the floor. Pulling herself up she continued over towards the balcony hoping to find her daughter there. There was no sign of her. As she turned looking for her, a loud explosion nearby caught her attention. She summoned a strange wand into her hand and ran towards the sounds hoping to protect her daughter. ' I hope my daughters are safe,' she thought as she plunged into the panicked crowd and disappeared in the sea of faces.  
  
As the quietness of space enveloped her, the girl turned her unnerving silver stare onto the control panel. Looking at the space map, she checked it for the patterns of possible meteor showers, asteroid fields, and comet orbits. For a second she thought she saw something blip by on the screen, but when she looked again it was gone.  
  
" Computer, analyze that object."  
  
" The object was metallic in nature, and small. I believe it was space junk."  
  
" Okay, well, then prepare to jump to light speed."  
  
" Light speed activated."  
  
The girl leaned back as the engines revved beneath her. Suddenly, the ship seemed to rip from the very fabric of time and space as it surged forward towards the distant planet of Mau. As the system rushed past her, a strange force suddenly came at the ship and hit it with great strength. The pilot was knocked out of her chair and as she struggled to get back into it, she noticed the coordinates were now scrambled. The strange craft had sent her flying in the wrong direction. All of a sudden, her seatbelt came down and clasped itself around her.  
  
" Hey! What's going on here?!"  
  
" We are now entering Deep Space, Hyper Sleep engaged."  
  
" No, no! Computer stop! Abort light speed!"  
  
" That is impossible, light speed will continue its designated course."  
  
As the glass of the Hyper Sleep capsule came down around her, the blue-haired girl struggled vainly against the strap. Her pounding on the glass slowed until, finally, it stopped, the gas having taken its effect.  
  
Hotaru woke up screaming.  
  
The frail girl clutched her blanket to her chest while her breath came in ragged gasps and her terror-filled eyes stared wildly about her. Slowly, the realization came that it had just been a dream. 'No, not a dream,' she corrected herself, ' a nightmare.'  
  
Still shaking off the effects of it, Hotaru threw back her twisted covers and rose unsteadily to her feet. Slowly she made her way out of her room and into the dark hallway. Feeling her way along the wall, she found the bathroom, flipped on the light switch and stepped inside. She splashed her face with the icy water a few times as the dread slowly faded, replaced by they urge to fall asleep right where she stood.  
  
The girl dried off her face, and made her way back to her bedroom, the cheeriness of her desk lamp leading her forward. Switching it off, she climbed back into bed and was asleep without another thought.  
  
Hotaru shifted uncomfortably in her seat as her English teacher droned on and on. Glancing furtively over at the clock, the girl's purple highlights shone in her black hair. Five more minutes. Sighing, she drummed her fingernails on the desk and continued to doodle in her notebook. Propping her head up to stave off boredom, Hotaru distractedly scribbled on her paper. Glancing down, she started in astonishment at what she saw.  
  
" Is something the matter Tomoe-kun?"  
  
" No! Uh, no, nothing's wrong, Saruka-sensei."  
  
" May we continue with the lesson?"  
  
The teacher did not wait for an answer, but swiftly turned her attention back to the lecture. Hotaru looked again at the drawing in front of her. Yes, it was still there. But how could it be? It was a picture of the Solar System from the Sun to the last icy planet of Pluto. The Moon was close to the Earth, and along with the planets had its symbol drawn on it. When she looked closer at the Moon, she saw a small comet-like object traveling away from it. At first she thought it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but there it was again. The comet was moving. As Hotaru watched it, she felt herself drawn away with it. It moved past endless planets, systems, and galaxies. It seemed to go on forever. At last the planet Earth came into view and the comet slowed its speed. Hotaru jerked awake at the loud thud of the classroom door as the last student left for the day. She looked up to see her teacher standing in front of her, an annoyed look on her face.  
  
" It is not like you to fall asleep in my class, Tomoe-kun. I think you should try to get more sleep."  
  
" Yes, Saruka-sensei."  
  
As Hotaru walked out of the school she studied the notebook. The comet was now by Earth. She shook her head and shut it, sticking it back in her bag.  
  
'First that awful dream, now this,' she thought, ' what next?'  
  
As she walked, the tall stairs of the Hikawa Jinja came into view. The sunlight streamed through the branches of the cherry trees making dappled shadows on the steps as the frail girl walked up, wondering what it all meant. She approached the large wooden doors of the temple and grasped the dull bronze knocker. The heavy metal made a loud thud against the door that was opened almost immediately by a very angry-looking girl in whose black hair red highlights flickered like low flames.  
  
" Uh...hi, Rei-chan," Hotaru's dark purple eyes glancing nervously into the priestess' dusty violet ones.  
  
" Hey Hotaru-chan!" the older girl trilled, the anger burning out of her eyes.  
  
Hotaru was relieved she wasn't Rei's target.  
  
" Come on in and join the party waiting for our leader to show up,' Rei motioned no longer cheery, " she's late as usual."  
  
" Don't sweat it Rei-chan, she's still got five minutes to go. Your clock is probably fast, check your watch," Makoto yawned from her spot on Rei's bed.  
  
" Yeah," Minako continued, " she's probably just trying to be passionately late."  
  
" Minako..." the group of girls groaned.  
  
Artemis made a face and shook his head, " Minako-chan you never will learn will you? The saying is 'fashionably late'."  
  
" Oh," the blonde girl face-faulted and tugged embarrassedly at her red hair bow.  
  
The room grew silent as Hotaru took a seat on the floor near her friend Chibi-usa. Looking at her watch, she noticed Usagi had one minute left. Her destruction was imminent.  
  
Just then another loud thud warned them that another person was at the door. As Rei got up from her desk chair to answer it, Hotaru silently hoped it was Usagi.  
  
" Hi minna-chan!" merrily chirped the blonde odango-atama as she came bouncing into the room.  
  
Rei stalked into the room behind her, half surprised and half irritated that she didn't have to lecture her friend on her tardiness.  
  
Usagi yawned and sprawled herself on Rei's bed and grabbed a nearby manga, " Let's get this meeting started, okay?"  
  
Luna nodded and padded over to Ami who pulled out her Mercury computer.  
  
" Ami-chan and I have been analyzing readouts from the computer. It seems that all negative energy has disappeared from our entire galaxy," the cat looked at the confused faces of the girls.  
  
" This does not bode well," Ami added, " whatever the cause is. Even during times of peace, negative power flows through the positive universe. That is the natural way of things, dark and light existing in tandem, neither able to thrive without the other."  
  
" As you can see," Luna continued, " we need to find the source of this imbalance and fix the problem immediately."  
  
" What if the problem is a new enemy gathering allies," Usagi voiced worriedly, "what would we do then? How could we ever defeat them?"  
  
At this Chibi-usa piped up, " Don't worry Usagi-chan, you've always found a way to defeat your enemies. You won't fail now."  
  
Usagi looked gratefully at her future daughter, yet she was very puzzled, " How did I ever raise such a smart kid?" she asked ruffling the girl's pink pigtails.  
  
" Besides that distressing information, anything else that needs to be discussed?" Rei looked around the circle expectantly.  
  
" I have something," Hotaru said quietly.  
  
" Go on Hotaru-chan," Luna said gently.  
  
" I had a very weird dream last night. It started out that I am walking alone in the park and I see someone far off that I recognize and wave to. I can't see her face, but I see that she has icy blue hair. As I run to catch up with her she turns and is suddenly no longer the same person. It is still her, but somehow....different. I watch her closely as she smiles at me and beckons me forward. Then she turns and screams something I can't quite catch and then we're running together, her holding tightly onto my wrist. When I woke up this morning, my wrist was actually sore. After running for what seems an eternity, we come to a cliff and in front of it rises this horrible dark thing. I can't even describe it. It was like something and yet nothing at the same time. It reaches out as the girl tries to run, but she is too late. It reaches into her chest and pulls out her still beating heart. I'm frozen to the spot and as she turns to look at me, her face a mask of pain, she asks me, ' Why didn't you destroy me when I told you to?' Then, she slowly turns towards the mass, and grabbing me, shoves me at it. That's when I wake up screaming."  
  
" Eww, creepy," Minako and Usagi chorused.  
  
" Please, spare us the dumb comments guys. Is that it for the meeting, Luna?"  
  
The cat nodded.  
  
" Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow for the study session, I have too much to do today."  
  
The girls all said their goodbyes and left the room. Hotaru was still gathering her school supplies and was going out the door when Rei stopped her.  
  
" Hotaru-chan, could you stay? I want to talk to you some more."  
  
Hotaru put down her things, " Yeah, sure. What is it?"  
  
" I want you to describe your dream for me again."  
  
Hotaru told it again while Rei looked thoughtfully out the window. When Hotaru finished, Rei turned towards her again, her spiritual advisor look on her face.  
  
" Was there anything else you can remember, anything at all?"  
  
" Well, not really, other than that the park seemed familiar."  
  
The older girl looked at Hotaru closely, as if reading her thoughts. Hotaru shifted her feet nervously.  
  
" There was something else that happened to me," she said almost whispering.  
  
The priestess looked at her expectantly.  
  
" I had a sort of vision in class today; I blacked out."  
  
" That settles it. Come on Hotaru-chan, I want to do a fire reading on you."  
  
Hotaru followed her friend into the small room that held the sacred fire, explaining her vision on the way. Just about the only furnishing in the room was the rug that Rei knelt on in front of the fire.  
  
Hotaru sat silently to the side and watched as Rei's face contorted in concentration. She mumbled words while making strange figures with her hands. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she fell forward on her hands, her breathing ragged.  
  
" Rei-chan! Are you all right?" the younger girl put a worried hand on her shoulder.  
  
" I'm fine, thanks Hotaru-chan. That was just...more difficult than usual. I feel a little drained."  
  
" I know how you feel, you just need to lay down and rest."  
  
" I will, but you must promise me something, be careful. The vision I received was unclear, but it gave me a bad feeling. Keep alert and watch out for yourself."  
  
" I promise, Rei-chan."  
  
" Okay then, I guess I'll see you at the study session tomorrow."  
  
" See you then," Hotaru said more cheerfully than she felt.  
  
The girl walked through the courtyard and down the steps, she was so deep in thought, that before she knew it, she was walking into a park.  
  
" It's the park from my dream!" Hotaru wondered out loud.  
  
A few people nearby turned and gave her weird looks, and then hurried away. She decided to keep going even though the place gave her the creeps after her dream. Strolling along the path, she gazed up at the brilliant blue sky and watched as the clouds chased each other across the sunny afternoon. As she watched, something out of place caught her eye. A silver streak arched down from above and traced a path towards the park. It came nearer and nearer and crashed with a loud sound into a small woodland a short distance from the trail on which Hotaru stood.  
  
She turned towards the cluster of trees where the strange object had fallen.  
  
'Did anybody see that?' she thought.  
  
Looking around, the slight girl noticed that no one was in sight.  
  
" Where is everyone?" she yelled.  
  
Silence.  
  
Eyeing the thicket warily, she cautiously stepped forward. As she drew closer, an uneasy feeling settled upon her. She stopped, uncertain what to do. Should she turn back or continue on? The weaker human screamed for her to go, to run away and never look back, but the soldier within her commanded her onward. It reminded her of her duty to protect the weak and destroy evil.  
  
The two options pulled at her mind and heart when, at last, one triumphed. She walked on, though not entirely of her own will. Something tugged at her as though she was being led on a string. Stealthily creeping to the edge of the trees, she peered into the gloom. Under their eaves, all was quiet, but that did nothing to comfort the girl. No sound of beast or bird broke that utter stillness. Stepping on a dry twig, the loud crack startled her, but there was still no sound except that of her stifled scream. The musty smell of moss and the sharp odor of bark drifted on the breeze that ruffled her hair. The sunlight filtering down through the boughs created a place of gray twilight.  
  
It was beautiful with that mysterious quality of nature that makes the untamed seem frightening and wonderful at the same time. In spite of this, Hotaru was filled with a growing sense of foreboding as she paused to look back the way she had come. She shook her head and marched forward with renewed determination. Pushing her way through the thick undergrowth, she saw ahead of her a bright light that cut through the dimness of the grove. Slowing her pace, though her heart beat faster, she approached the clearing.  
  
The silence was broken when a loud roar sounded from somewhere nearby. Startled by she knew not what, Hotaru turned to run when she heard a sound of pain, quickly cut off. Steeling her will, the petite girl pulled her henshin pen from her pocket. She grasped the cool surface of the dark purple wand and went down onto her hands and knees. Crawling now, she peeked through the foliage and saw a small metallic black craft.  
  
Sensing a sudden movement off to her right, she quickly somersaulted into the clearing, rolling under the attack. She spun around, searching the trees for her unseen assailant. Tensing as she heard rustling in the bushes, she held up her pen.  
  
" Saturn Star Power, Make-up!"  
  
As the power of Saturn surged through the small girl, her fuku and her Silence Glaive shimmered into being. Holding the wicked blade in front of her, Sailor Saturn ended crouched in a defensive posture. Her eyes narrowed, her senshi powers sensing a strange presence.  
  
Then, to her surprise, a cloaked figure emerged from the circle of trees and slowly advanced toward her, hands to its sides. It stopped just before her glaive, and bowed its head slightly forward. The Senshi of Silence was puzzled at this and nodded her head in return.  
  
" Anor, Serna Ti'alla," it said in a lilting female voice. 


	2. Aliens Among Us! Then Senshi Divided

Aliens among us! The senshi divided.  
  
" Dare?" Hotaru asked angrily pointing her glaive at the person.  
  
Sailor Saturn leveled her gaze at the figure as it drew back its black hood revealing shoulder length ice blue hair. A wing fell over her right eye falling even with the rest of her hair. Her brilliant silver eyes flashed at the sailor making her feel very nervous.  
  
'What weird language is she speaking in?' Hotaru wondered, ' and what is she saying?'  
  
The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if she didn't want to tell the small girl in front of her anything. Then she said in perfect Japanese:  
  
" Watashi no namae wa Hoshino Tentei."  
  
She bowed, then straitening, searched Hotaru's surprised face.  
  
" You speak Japanese?" the frail sailor asked.  
  
" I speak many languages fluently," the imposing girl replied disinterestedly.  
  
" What do you want?" Hotaru questioned, becoming suspicious again, " And why did you attack me?"  
  
" Oh, I am sorry," Tentei said not sounding the least bit so, " I sensed power, yours, and I decided to attack first and ask questions later. No offense, you understand, I always have to be on my guard."  
  
Hotaru nodded shifting her weapon to her right hand.  
  
" You may put that away, I am of no harm to you," Tentei said with a wave of her hand.  
  
To her surprise, the senshi found herself sheathing her glaive.  
  
" How did you do that?"  
  
" Do what?" the strange woman asked innocently.  
  
" Nothing, never mind," Hotaru mumbled irritably.  
  
They stood in silence, an awful scowl on Hotaru's face as she glared at Tentei, who seemed to have forgotten her presence. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, Hotaru turned to exit the clearing.  
  
" Wait!" the other girl called after her urgently, " Please!"  
  
" What?"  
  
" What is the date? The computer on my ship was damaged in the landing and I am trying to fix it, but I really need to know."  
  
" It's September 6."  
  
" What year?"  
  
" 199"  
  
The blue haired girl looked as if she was having trouble breathing. Her face twisted with emotion, she looked confused, scared, and sad all at the same time. She staggered off in the direction of her ship and Hotaru followed after worrying but not wanting to. As she drew closer, she noticed a piece of the fuselage was off and various tools were scattered on the grass. Hoisting herself into the craft, she looked around for the pilot.  
  
In the front was the cockpit, and the two chairs in front of the blinking panel were both empty. Turning toward the rear, the purple senshi saw a door leading to another part of the ship. As she approached the doors, a computerized voice spoke:  
  
" Place your hand on the panel and look into the camera."  
  
Just noticing the hand-shape on the wall, Hotaru put her hand on it and looked into the nearby camera.  
  
" Retinal and palm scan complete, enter Sailor Saturn."  
  
' Weird,' she thought as she stepped over the threshold.  
  
The door had slid open revealing a short passageway. There were four doors, two on each side. Walking past, the voice announced to her what they contained.  
  
" Engine room: restricted access, galley, stateroom, cargo hold."  
  
' Where could she be?'  
  
She decided to check the galley first, food always made Usagi feel better; maybe that's where Tentei was. Putting her hand on the panel, the door slid open to reveal a neatly organized kitchen. It was deserted.  
  
' Oh well, she got to be here somewhere, I'll just keep looking.'  
  
The stateroom door opened at her touch and inside was an elegantly furnished traveling room with a window in the roof for gazing at the stars as they drifted by. This room was empty too, and with only two other rooms to check, Hotaru headed to the cargo hold.  
  
The darkness in this expansive room was illuminated by a single light that hung from the middle of the room. Boxes, crates, and trunks crowded the hold and she had to weave her way through them to reach the small light. She turned in a circle, underneath the light, wondering which path of boxes to check first. Hotaru heard the sound of a lid being shut and made her way over to it.  
  
She found her, on the lid of a trunk, a picture frame hugged to her chest. Concerned for the girl, she sat down on it next to her and waited for her to speak.  
  
After a short pause, the taller girl sighed deeply and turning to Hotaru asked, " Do you have a family in this life?"  
  
Taken aback by the strange question, she nodded, " Yeah, it's just me and my dad though."  
  
" The only family I knew is dead now, it's been so long..." she looked at the picture with a sadness in her eyes.  
  
The picture was of two women. They sat with their arms wrapped around each other and smiles on their faces. It was easy to tell that they were sisters, but they were as different in their beauty as night and day. The one on the left had hair dark as night that flowed over her shoulders in long waves. It was done up into two ponytails with two buns on top of each. Her eyes were a sad dark purple, the color of the ocean at night, but the picture did not seem to do them justice as sparkles of other colors could be seen swimming in those plum pools. The other had hair of shining lavender that fell into a glistening puddle in her lap. It was done in two pigtails with a single bun on each, and sweet silver eyes that looked strikingly familiar.  
  
Hotaru drew in a quick breath, 'Queen Serenity-sama?'  
  
" My mother and my aunt, they're dead now and I have no one."  
  
Hotaru turned shakily toward Tentei, " This is your mother?"  
  
" Yes, the one on the right, the one on the left is my aunt Gwenhwyfar."  
  
Hotaru was in disbelief, " That can't possibly be your mother, That's Queen Serenity-sama."  
  
Tentei suddenly rose to her feet, " If you do not believe me, then I am not sure I know who you are. What is your name?"  
  
" Tomoe Hotaru," she replied standing up, fists at her sides.  
  
" You go by a different name now, I am sorry, I forgot you are in another lifetime now. Forgive my rashness."  
  
" What do you mean a different lifetime?" Hotaru asked suspiciously, this girl knew too much.  
  
" When I knew you, it was during the Silver Millennium. Your name was Aveta then and you were Sailor Saturn."  
  
With a shock, Hotaru realized she knew that name; it had been hers a long time ago.  
  
" How can that be, the Moon Kingdom was destroyed, everyone was killed."  
  
Tentei looked shocked, " Destroyed?"  
  
" Yes, the night of Princess Serenity-sama's party, we were caught by surprise."  
  
" Then my mother has been dead all this time? How did you all end up here on Earth?"  
  
" Queen Serenity-sama was the only one who survived the attack, she used the Imperium Silver Crystal to send us and Queen Beryl to the future, killing herself. Now we fight our enemies on Earth, preparing for the future of Crystal Tokyo when Usagi-chan will fulfill her destiny."  
  
Tentei looked sharply at Saturn, " Who is this Usagi?"  
  
" The reincarnation of Princess Serenity-sama of course."  
  
Tentei seemed to stiffen at this and her eyes narrowed.  
  
" So," she smirked, " my good-for-nothing sister is to create a new time of peace? How touching."  
  
Hotaru didn't know how to respond to this. Thoughts raged in her head as the silence lengthened. Who was this girl to say such things? And was she really who she said she was?  
  
Usagi's "sister" rose and returned the photograph to a nearby trunk. Faced away from her former friend, she wiped a silent tear from her cheek and made her way out of the cargo hold. Sailor Saturn followed her outside and found her picking the tools up off the ground. She moved to help but Tentei brushed her aside. The girl had gone back inside the ship when it suddenly vanished. Just as quickly, she reappeared and seemed to walk on air down to the ground.  
  
" Cloaking device," she explained as a mechanical sound announced the door was closing, " I can't have any stupid Earth humans discovering my UFO, now can I?"  
  
She chuckled quietly as she shouldered a pack and strode towards the trees.  
  
" Where are you going?" Hotaru asked.  
  
" I have a score to settle with your Usagi-chan, and I don't need you interfering Aveta," she replied hotly and suddenly vanished.  
  
" Cloaking device," Hotaru mocked as she de-transformed and flipped open her communicator.  
  
" Usagi-chan, I think we've got a problem..."  
  
As she walked through the streets of Juuban, Tentei received many weird looks. Her strange clothes and the computer she held in front of her were enough to make some turn and run, thinking another strange attack had come. She paid them no mind but continued following the signal on the screen. Although under a new name, her sister's aura still had the same vibrations, due to the tie with the ginzuishou.  
  
" Foolish Earth humans," she muttered, " Why do they run like scared little children? Don't they know the Sailor Senshi will come and save them? Useless fools, it's a wonder my sister and her friends lasted this long."  
  
Tentei stood in the center of the street, deep in thought as her computer showed a blip on the screen in the shape of a crescent moon.  
  
" I have you dear sister," she sneered, heading towards the source of energy.  
  
" Yawwn...What do you mean we have a problem, Hotaru-chan?" Usagi was lying on her bed doing her homework for once.  
  
" Um...What I mean is that I bumped into some strange girl in a UFO who claims that she is your sister and is on her way to kill you right now."  
  
Usagi was silent for a second then burst into insane laughter, " Y-You got m-me good there for a second, Hotaru-ch-chan!"  
  
" No, I'm not joking! I'm serious, and I'm coming over right now and calling the others."  
  
" Okay what ever makes you happy," the blonde rolled her eyes, " You always were the most paranoid, next to Haruka of course."  
  
The communicator blipped off and Luna jumped up next to her mistress and began nuzzling her side.  
  
" Oh, hello, Luna."  
  
" Who was that on the communicator?" she purred.  
  
" Oh, it was just Hotaru-chan, she said some strange girl told her that she was my sister and now she is coming over to kill me. Isn't that funny? Any way, Hotaru is coming over right away and calling the others."  
  
For the first time, Usagi looked away from her math homework and at Luna. A look of bewilderment and terror twisted her features. Her claws were digging into Usagi's bedspread and it looked as though she were going to rip it.  
  
" Luna-chan? Luna, what is wrong with you?"  
  
" Usagi-chan, I had hoped for and dreaded this meeting since your reawakening. Your sister has come back from a supposed death and has come for her revenge."  
  
" Sister? Revenge?" Usagi was flabbergasted, " Luna, what are you talking about? I was an only child, I had no brothers or sisters, so how could one come back from the dead?"  
  
" You do not know, because I did not tell you," Luna hung her head, " I feared it would bring you more pain. You had already had so much and this was in the past and we had thought her dead."  
  
" You thought wrong, Luna-sensei."  
  
The two turned at the voice and beheld a tall blue haired girl in a tight- fitting black body suit and glittering silver cape. Her silver eyes glared coldly into the surprised blue ones. Usagi was astonished, the face she was looking at was her own, but different. Twisted somehow, it was the face of a survivor of terror. The face of someone who had dealt badly with life's curveballs.  
  
" Princess Gwenhwyfar-sama!" Luna gasped.  
  
" In the flesh you worthless fur-ball. Who else did you expect anyway," the tall girl sneered, resting her hand lightly on something concealed at her hip.  
  
The black cat sucked in her breath, " The Sword of the Savior! Usagi, quick teleport out of here, you cannot fight her in such close quarters!"  
  
" But Luna, I'm not transformed and I can't teleport without the others!"  
  
" Just do it!" Luna screeched.  
  
All the while, the stranger was advancing on the pair, sword unsheathed, " Stay for just a little while longer dear sister, I only want to have a little fun with you. Come now, it won't hurt, much."  
  
With a terrified scream, the girl grabbed the cat and the pair vanished from the room.  
  
Enraged, the black sword stabbed down into the floor, cleaving the downstairs ceiling in two, " You cannot hide forever! I will find you!"  
  
" Where are we Luna?" Usagi breathed.  
  
" Don't you recognize it? We're on the Moon!"  
  
Usagi stared in wonder at the marble pillars and tinkling silver fountains. The air smelled of flowers and a fresh breeze blew from the nearby sea. Lush green grass grew along path and stately trees made their harmonious soughing sounds.  
  
" But this can't be the Moon! Where are the ruins, where is all the dust?"  
  
Luna's blue eyes twinkled, " Don't you remember all those years ago when you fought Metallia? You resurrected the Silver Millennium, soon to become the Crystal Millennium when you ascend the throne."  
  
" Yes, I remember, but this is no longer a dead kingdom, this is a living, thriving globe! Is this what our world looked like before?"  
  
The cat nodded, " The Moon was a beautiful and happy place then, and you recreated another piece of that when you used the power of the cauldron to defeat Chaos. when the new Millennium begins, this Moon, this whole System will be ready to be repopulated!"  
  
" Repopulated? You mean all the planets? Even Jupiter and the other gas planets?"  
  
" I'm surprised you know that much about astronomy, Usagi-chan. But what the scientists do not know, is that a protective shell of gas only shields those planets. Most of what our civilization built still remains, there may even be some survivors waiting for the glorious return of peace!"  
  
Usagi looked around gleefully, " Let's explore!"  
  
" Damn this useless machine!" Tentei threw the delicate computer into the street where it broke with a crash into a thousand pieces.  
  
She looked around menacingly at the few nearby people who quickly hurried on. With a smirk at the ground she turned on her heel and headed back towards Usagi's house.  
  
" No matter, I should have known tracing her the old-fashioned way would be more effective."  
  
" They aren't here," Hotaru said with despair.  
  
" Thank you Captain Obvious! We can see that; what we don't know is where she went."  
  
Hotaru's nerves were shot and she was just about to reply in a very uncharacteristic manner when the air above Usagi's bed twisted and rippled. In the blink of an eye, their leader and Luna were standing on the bed.  
  
" To the Moon of course!" she replied gleefully, " It was great! You guys should see it! It's just as it was a thousand years ago, only better!"  
  
" How'd you get there by yourself, and untransformed?" Ami asked bewildered.  
  
The blonde shrugged her shoulders and looked at Luna.  
  
" That is small compared to everything else she has done. You all should know by now that the power of the ginzuishou is unmatched. When you use the Sailor Teleport, it is Usagi-chan's power that transports you all."  
  
Meanwhile, the said champion of justice was mimicking Luna behind her back impatiently, " Come on you guys, detransform so I can tell you all about it!"  
  
Coming through the gate into the grounds of the Tsukino residence, Tentei suddenly went into convulsions. Falling heavily to the ground, her hands scrabbled vainly at the paving and grass. She ceased to breath until a loud crack sounded and she lay still.  
  
" What was that?!" Makoto jumped in the middle of Usagi's story.  
  
The girls looked out the window and saw a figure slumped in the front yard.  
  
Hotaru and Usagi gasped in unison, " That's Tentei-san!"  
  
As they watched the figure shakily pushed itself up and rose to a standing position. The girl looked wearily up and spotted them at the window, waving cheerfully at them. They all looked at each other, incredibly confused, when, suddenly, the girl collapsed again.  
  
" We can't just sit here, we have to do something!" Minako wailed, " She is your sister after all Usagi-chan!"  
  
Usagi hesitated for a second, but then nodded and led the way down the stairs.  
  
" Be careful girls, it may be a trick of some kind," Luna cautioned.  
  
Ami checked her vital signs, " Her heart rate is quick but steadily returning to normal. She is out cold but otherwise unhurt."  
  
" Right, let's get her inside."  
  
Tentei woke suddenly clutching at her chest, the pain that always underlay everything suddenly stimulated to fever pitch. She looked around confusedly and spotted a familiar figure asleep on a nearby chair.  
  
" Princess Maia!"  
  
Ami, a book open in her lap started awake as Usagi entered the room. Seeing the alien girl had awakened, the odangoed girl slowed her approach.  
  
" Princess Serenity? What are you doing here? Where am I and what are you wearing?"  
  
Usagi looked down at her bunny slippers and turned pink, " Um...er, they're my slippers, we don't wear shoes in the house.  
  
Ami scrutinized the girl, " You don't know where you are? What's the last thing you remember?"  
  
" Going into hyper sleep when my ship went out of control while leaving the Moon Kingdom. Why do you look at me as if I am a stranger?"  
  
" Because you are, this is Earth in the 21st century, the Moon Kingdom was destroyed a Millennia ago."  
  
Tentei looked distraught at this, " Then why are you all here? Are the others here as well? Aveta and Immana?"  
  
" Who are you talking about, and why did you call me Maia?"  
  
" Why, cause that's your name silly, and what do you mean you don't know. Why they are the crown princess' of Saturn and Uranus!"  
  
Hotaru had been listening in the next room and she now came in, " When you landed here in your ship you asked all the same questions and I gave you the same answers. Then you went off threatening to kill Usagi."  
  
" Aveta! You're here!" the girl ran to Hotaru and hugged her warmly.  
  
Surprised, Hotaru pulled away, " You called me that earlier, but seemed to hate me. What are you playing at?"  
  
" Playing at? What do you mean, this is the first I have seen you in, so Maia says, a thousand years! And who is Usagi?"  
  
" I am," the said person stepped forward, a look of confusion on her face.  
  
" Sister? Are you in another lifetime? Did mother send you all here?"  
  
" Yes, when we were all killed, she destroyed herself to give us a new future on Earth."  
  
" Earth! We're on Earth! No wonder I am not feeling well. I have always hated this planet."  
  
A look of hardness came into her face as she said this and her voice turned sharp and cold. Usagi drew back in alarm, but a second later, the look was replaced by one of confusion.  
  
" Why do you pull away from me sister?"  
  
" I don't believe she realizes what is happening to her," Usagi mused later when Tentei had fallen asleep.  
  
" Me neither," Hotaru agreed, " Earlier she gave me the name Hoshino Tentei, but now she seems to have no remembrance of that and insists that her name is Gwenhwyfar."  
  
Ami looked up from her computer, which she and Luna had been intently studying, " She could have a split personality."  
  
The girls turned in her direction, " A split personality?"  
  
" Yes, she could have, in essence two personalities living inside of her, neither aware of the other, or, if they are aware, repressing the knowledge. This usually happens as a phenomena to block out certain terrible incidents such as rape or a terrible accident where a loved one is killed."  
  
" Or she could be possessed by something evil."  
  
Usagi looked reproachfully at the younger girl, " You don't always have to be so suspicious Hotaru. It's been two years since the battle with Chaos and nothing has happened!"  
  
" I know, but you thought I was good and it turned out I was possessed."  
  
" That was different, Hotaru-chan."  
  
She didn't look convinced.  
  
" I think she is evil and needs to be destroyed, sister or no."  
  
" Rei! How can you say that? She is obviously under the influence of something she can't control."  
  
" I don't believe that Usagi-chan and I will not have you be put in jeopardy for someone we have no connection to."  
  
" If she is my sister, then she is of royal blood and your princess, that sure seems like a connection to me!"  
  
" Stop being so hard headed, Usagi-chan. The girl is obviously dangerous!"  
  
" Mako-chan, you too? You sound like Haruka-san!"  
  
Makoto just "hrumphed" and looked away, " I have to agree with them Usagi, as leader of the inner senshi, I order you to stay away from the girl and let us deal with her."  
  
Usagi's eyes burned with fury. She rose to her feet and started yelling at full force. In a split second, where once Usagi stood, there was now an enraged Princess Serenity.  
  
" I am the one whose life is being threatened and I alone stand between her and your unjust death sentence! Good or bad she's still a person and my sister! I will not let you sacrifice her for my sake you will do as I command!"  
  
The three were adamant. " I'm sorry Usagi, we will not obey you." 


	3. The Light of Dawn A Zoo Breakout!

Confucius say, " Do not claim to own what you do not." Okay you old geezer, I don't own Sailor Moon! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Light of Dawn. A Zoo Breakout?!  
  
Things looked grim for the senshi. They had survived being killed countless times, but one small girl had just torn them apart. On one side, in defense of Gwenhwyfar/Tentei stood Usagi, Ami, Hotaru, and Luna. On the other, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Artemis saw death for the tortured soul as the only option. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna were, of course, staying out of the fight. It had been three days since Tentei had stumbled into their lives. It had taken some convincing to get her parents to take in the girl and ignore the hole in the ceiling. That afternoon, the two girls were talking quietly together as Tentei braided the older girl's hair, a childish custom that the now eighteen Usagi missed. The split of the team weighed heavily on the blonde leader as well as the young girl. She felt that the split was her fault and on more than one occasion had attempted to leave. " Tentei-chan?" " Yes, One-chan?" " I have been crying to you about my problems, but not once have you shared yours. How did this happen to you?" Tentei paused in her braiding, " I do not mind to hear your grief for I have caused it, but I will not expose you to the filth that lives within me." Usagi turned to the younger girl, " Why are so hard on yourself? Whatever happened cannot possibly be your fault." Tentei hung her head, " As a child I learned something terrible about myself. I cannot yet bring myself to tell it, but you will know in time. This knowledge filled me with despair and a great rage against my home. Blind in my anger, I traveled far from this system and ended up on a cursed planet. In my fear and weakness, I allowed a thing of darkness to plant a seed within me. I left my natural time with him and came to your recent past. He used me as a tool to bring about the end of everything. " So...this evil being, brought you to Earth recently?" " Yes," she shivered, " but I sought to overthrow him and take my vengeance against the world in my own way. During that time, I tried to kill you on several occasions, as I did a few days ago. But I fell among you and was partially healed by your loving heart." " I think I remember that, was it, was it Lucis and Aion who sent you home?" " Yes, I'm surprised that you remember. Through their strength and teaching I learned to control my changes with the help of another soul. A Silmarie, or soul vessel in the Old Tongue, helps me to bear this burden. Without one I will surely be destroyed by the war within me. My outbreaks are fiercer now, for I have no Silmarie and without one I am a danger to you." Usagi looked thoughtful, " So a Silmarie would take half of the darkness into themselves?" " Yes." " I'll do it." " No! No, Serenity-sama, I cannot let this impurity defile you. Your sanctity is too precious to this universe. You hold more power than all the rest combined; this power sleeps in you." " Ten-chan, how old are you? You speak like a person with much wisdom, but you must be young." " In Earth years I am fourteen, younger than you, but in reality, I was not reincarnated, so I am over a thousand years old." " How long exactly is the life span of the Moon people?" " It depends on how strong in powers you are and your strength of love. Mother lived a very long time and I know you will too. My time is almost up, I feel myself thinning." " What do you mean, you are only a teenager!" " Yes, but I was in hyper sleep for one thousand years and I did not age, while I look young, my time clock is running short," Tentei gave a huge yawn. " You look tired Ten," Usagi smoothed her hair, " Please get some rest." " Okay, Mom!" the younger girl grumbled, " You always were so bossy and motherly." Usagi smiled to herself as the door whispered shut behind her.  
  
Later, while Tentei was still sound asleep, Usagi was watching the news with her parents. Normally, she hated the news and would rather study, but she had actually already done that and was bored out of her mind. It was better than training with Luna. Her parents still looked a little grouchy about the visitor, but Usagi couldn't figure out why. Then it occurred to her that the other times they had been happy cause they had been hypnotized by Chibi-usa's Luna-P. That little toy could really come in handy sometimes. She was startled out of her daydream by the emergency broadcast. " Attention Juuban, just a few moments ago, a huge white tiger escaped from the zoo. It is being considered highly dangerous and civilians are warned not to attempt to take on the beast themselves. Lock all doors and windows and keep lights off. Above all, stay indoors. The tiger was a specimen in the research facility and the subject of much controversy. The female, named Glacier by her handlers, is unusually large and has a strange mark on her forehead that resembles a star..." Here, pictures were shown of the tiger and Usagi gasped at the mark. It was a five-point star surrounded by five smaller ones, all of a goldish color like Luna's sigil. Its face bore an intelligent look and she was sure the tigress could talk. Usagi's parents gave her a funny look but continued watching the program. " ...another anomaly, the tiger seems to have human blood instead of tiger, type O- in fact, and an enormous intellect. Although a rare treasure, the animal is to be destroyed upon capture as a danger to the public." " Thank you, Yumi, and now, for sports..." Usagi was no longer listening. She kissed her parents good night and headed up to her room. Checking Tentei quickly, she grabbed her broach and jumped lightly from her window, fading into the night. She had to find the tigress before the authorities and time was against her.  
  
Tentei tensed when she woke. It was dark and not a sound was heard except for the sighing of the wind. The city, for once, was quiet and that made her uneasy. Moonlight shone brightly into the room, illuminating Usagi's empty bed. The curtains stirred in the breeze and Tentei leaned out the window and peered at the ground. The grass there was trampled as though this exit had been used many times. " Usagi must have gotten an urgent call from the others," she mused, " I'll wait up for her." The blue haired girl sat on Usagi's bed, hugging her knees. She had just started to drop off to sleep again from this position when she felt the familiar pain in her chest. She strained against it, fighting the dizzying sensation. " No. Not now!" she panted, " I've...been okay for...three days..." With one last breath, she fainted and lay still. Minutes ticked by and still the girl lay motionless on the bed. All at once, she pushed herself to a sitting position and looked around dazedly. " How did I get here?" She was in the room of the enemy. The angry gash in the floor was proof enough of that. The princess had wisely fled, but why she had been taken in, she could not explain. The last thing she remembered was the click as the front gate shut behind her, and then, nothing. Tentei looked out the window and saw the worn patch on the ground. " I will find you Serenity, it is useless to hide from me," and the girl slipped into the night, following the power of the ginzuishou.  
  
Following her instinct, Usagi found the tigress in a tightly circled clearing. She had been pawing at the air and Usagi, not sure what to do, had gotten down on her hands and knees. " Excuse me, Glacier," she spoke in a quavering voice, " I do not wish to harm you. I am Tsukino Usagi, Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon. You have the mark of a guardian and your life is in danger." She held her breath, perhaps she had been wrong, what if this was just an ordinary tiger? The tigress looked closely at the girl, as if she were studying her. Usagi bit her lip, trying to keep from crying as the silence lengthened. After what seemed an eternity to Usagi, the tigress spoke in broken Japanese, " You Moon Kingdom." " Yes! Oh, I knew you were a guide! Quickly, you must follow me, you are to be destroyed when found!" The animal made a weird huffing noise that seemed to be laughter, " Not find easy." The clearing was suddenly filled with warm light and the blonde shut her eyes against the hot brilliance. She was filled with intense joy and her fatigue seemed to melt away. The glow faded but not entirely and Usagi opened her eyes to a strange sight. In place of the tiger, a beautiful girl, scarcely taller than herself, stood. A corseted dress of pinkish-gold fell to the floor and a velvet cape of the same color was clasped at her neck. She shyly fixed her strawberry blonde bob behind her ear and pale blue eyes looked sweetly into crystal blue. " Me Borealis," she made a delicate curtsey, " Greet you Highness." Usagi clumsily imitated the woman, " It's nice to meet you." " Sorry me speak no good, I no very good at languages," here she made a sick face and Usagi burst out laughing. " Well, I don't know what we're going to do with you. I would offer you a room at Rei's shrine, but we aren't on speaking terms right now." " Who Rei?" " Oh, Sailor Mars." " Princess Elena here too?" " Do you know when you are?" The woman nodded gravely, " Reincarnated, Moon Kingdom dust." " Not anymore!" Usagi squealed excitedly, " It's been rebuilt!" " Rebuilt?" " Yes! I could take you there if you would like." Borealis shook her head, " No, find Gwenhwyfar." " Oh! You mean Tentei! You know her? She's at my place already..." she trailed off at the look of horror on the redhead's face. " She at you house? You not safe here, she troubled." " I know that already, she's attacked me, but she's all right now."  
  
Head down, Tentei strode through the desolate streets. A momentary surge of energy caught her attention. The ginzuishou was nearby, with another. " It couldn't be possible," she hissed between her teeth, " She is dead!" Heading towards the spot she recognized the park she had landed in. The clearing was just ahead and faintly glowing. With a snarl, she cut the massive branches that shielded the thicket and burst through. " Atu," she growled through gritted teeth. " Gwenhwyfar," Borealis breathed, " A bele atu!" Usagi didn't understand a word they were saying, but she saw Tentei's naked sword and the unarmed Borealis and went into action. " Silver Moon Crystal Power, Make-up!" " Ah, so the princess shows her true colors. Pardon me if I don't bow, but I have a score to settle with both of you. I could handle both at once, but I would prefer if the half breed stepped up first." " Gwenhwyfar, no hurt Sailor Moon, no hurt me, no want!" The redhead pleaded with the impassive girl. " Still struggling with languages Borealis? But you are right, I don't want to hurt, I want to kill!" she raised the sword and with a terrible cry swung at the unflinching woman. " Silmarie Bond!" Borealis gathered her hands over her head and Tentei staggered back as if hit. " Wha-What have you done to me?" Eternal Sailor Moon stared on dumbfounded as an inky blackness poured from Tentei's face. Her ears, her eyes, everything poured forth the stuff like blood. It massed in a pool on the ground reflecting back the stars in its cold surface. Just as suddenly, Borealis opened her mouth and the blackness surged in, knocking her onto the ground. The two had collapsed on the ground with Eternal Sailor Moon standing horrified between them. Slowly, they got to their feet and Tentei ran to Borealis. " Oh, I'm glad you got me in time. How is it that you are here Rea?" " Me reborn in zoo. Remember past when you mother speak in dream." " Rea, we really have to work on your Japanese." The short woman nodded. Usagi at last spoke up, a look of extreme relief on her face, " I thought you had killed each other! What was that?" Tentei looked at her strangely, " Our souls have bonded, and my burden is lightened. Borealis was the one who helped me in the past though only for a brief time." " Well, what are we to do with you now?" the blonde asked Borealis, " You need a place to stay and my parents sure won't do it." Tentei looked thoughtful, " What about Rei-san?" " Nani? You know she wants you dead!" " But she doesn't know who Borealis is. She could get a job at the shrine, you told me she's always looking for extra hands." " That's true," Usagi mused, " But what about her clothes and her name, and the mark on her forehead. Rei would get suspicious." Tentei motioned the two to follow her. On the other side of the clearing, she made a strange pass with her hands and a glistening black ship faded into being. " Cool! A UFO!" Usagi squealed. Tentei shook her head, " One-chan, detransform and keep your voice down." The blonde sweat dropped, " Sorry!" Steps lead up into the craft and the door slid open at Tentei's touch. " I have a pretty large cargo, I was taking all our things to our Aunt Gwenhwyfar's kingdom. I should have a few things that fit her. I also need to pick up a few things. The mark on her forehead, however, that might be a bit difficult." The group had entered the cargo hold and proceeded to open crates and chests, rifling through their contents. Borealis looked up from the treasure chest she had just opened. " I make it disappear." Tentei's reply was muffled with her head in a crate of ball gowns, " Mwhedfs?" " Nani?" Usagi said then looked at borealis with a shrug. " I said, you can?" on top of her head was a ruffle-covered hat, " What's so funny?" The two shorter girls were collapsing on the ground in laughter. The subject of the joke took off the hat with a look of disgust. " This is one of yours, you know?" Usagi stopped laughing and turned crimson. " Yes, can. Very hard, but try." She closed her eyes and look of deep concentration came over the red head. At first, nothing happened, but then a low hum filled the room. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and her hair flew about her face. With a final crack, the hum vanished and Borealis collapsed on the ground. Tentei rushed over, " Rea! Rea, are you all right?" " Yes, fine," she shivered. " Your sigil is gone!" Usagi cheered. Tentei looked grim, " You must feel strange Rea, sit down." The curvaceous woman sat heavily on the nearest box, her head in her hands. Usagi turned to her sister, " What now?" " Now you go home and get some sleep. Your parents won't notice me missing, but they will notice you. Rea and I will work on her Japanese tonight and will think up a name for her." Usagi nodded and left. On way back home, she passed a zoo patrol and smiled.  
  
" This is a good look for you," Tentei held up a casual dress, " Serenity would wear this when she snuck down to Earth." Borealis nodded, " That will go well with the other things we picked up.' The blue haired girl laughed, " See, if you would only try harder, Rea, you'd be very good at languages." " I know, but I hate them, I prefer to speak my own tongue." " Nobody understands that but the Jula and you are a million light years from there now. Now, introduce yourself again." Borealis did a polite bow, " Ohaiyo, watashi no namae wa Aisahino Hikari." " Very good. I think you are ready to fool Rei-san."  
  
In the early morning sunshine, a small woman scaled the steps to the Hikawa Jinja. The cherry blossoms were still closed in slumber, only a few braving the twilight. The soft sound of a broom whispered in the courtyard as she reached the top. A girl in the robes of a priestess was just finishing up her early morning chores. Borealis approached her and gave a short bow. " Ohaiyo, watashi no namae wa Aisahino Hikari. I heard you have positions available here." 


	4. A Truce? Enter Two New Soldiers

"Um, yeah, Hollie doesn't own Sailor Moon, but she does own me-" "And me!" "-anyway...she owns me, Tentei, and psycho Hikari over there along with her alternate form Borealis. Although why anyone wants them is beyond me." "Hey!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ A Truce? Enter Two New Soldiers.  
  
Tentei looked out on the beautiful fall day from her position in the widow seat. It was Saturday and on Monday, she was to be enrolled in school. She grimaced at the thought. It wasn't that she minded school; it was just that she'd be all alone. Usagi and her friends were all in college and Hotaru was a grade up. "I hope Hotaru will still be friends with me after the way I treated her." "Of course I'll be your friend," Hotaru was standing right behind her, "I'll finally have a read friend at my school now." "Don't sneak up on me like that, meanie," Tentei hit the dark haired girl with a pillow. Hotaru laughed and sat next to her friend on the window seat, "Are you going into grade eight or nine?" "Eight. They said I had to since I'm only fourteen and they don't know how far along I got in my country." "Where'd you tell Usagi's parents you're from?" "America, and they believed me. I think Usagi finally got Chibi-usa to loan her Luna-P. They think I'm some second cousin. I'm telling them I would like to go by my Japanese name instead of my English one." Hotaru looked confused, "You have an English name?" Tentei nodded, "Languages are my favorite subject. I know all Earthian tongues and almost all the ones used in this system. Everyone had to know the Common Tongue so I know that too, plus some from other galaxies." "Wow, how do you know so many?" A shadow crossed the girl's face, "Let's just say I had a lot of time to study. Plus I ran away from home a lot. Never to Earth though." She made a face, "I never really did like this planet." "Why not? Earth must've been beautiful back then." "Oh, it was. I don't know, just something in the air I guess. But my favorite place to go has always been Saturn. Do you remember how gorgeous is was before the fall?" The older girl looked thoughtful, "I can remember some things if I concentrate really hard, but they always disappear again. It's hard for all of us to remember; being reincarnated has its disadvantages." The two heard footsteps charging up the stairs. Usagi burst into the room and excited look on her face. "Do you guys want to go to the mall? Mako-chan and Mina-chan have agreed to talk to us!" The younger girls looked at each other and shrugged, "Count us in!"  
  
"How long has this shrine been in the family, Rei-chan?" Hikari asked between sips of her tea. "Since forever! The sixteenths century I think." The red head looked around in awe, "I had no idea it was so old..." "Well, it's been rebuilt several times; three years go was the most recent one in fact. It was burnt to the ground shortly after it was first built by the Emperor at the time. Ever since then, we have not had good luck in the way of fires." Rei's grandfather walked into the room and bowed to the two women, "You should bring more pretty friends like her to work here." "Grandpa!" she threw a cushion at him, "Don't be so weird!" He left, Yuuichirou following close behind and shaking his head. Hikari giggled behind her hand as Rei rolled her eyes. "Are they always like that?" her pale blue eyes twinkled. "Almost always. You get used to it. Eventually." "Rei-chan, I want to see your famous talent at work. Would you do a reading on me?" "Sure. Follow me."  
  
"So," Usagi raised an eyebrow at her friends sitting across from her, "Are you guys ready for a truce?" Minako nodded, "We couldn't take it anymore. It's no fun without you. Besides, you are the princess right? We should follow your orders, even if we don't agree." Usagi looked over at Tentei who sat with bowed head on the other side of Hotaru, "You still won't accept her? I told you, she's okay now." "How do we know she won't go evil again?" Makoto glanced briefly at the girl and her heart fell. "She has been bonded to another," Hotaru spoke up, "The darkness within her is now considerably less and easier to control." "Bonded?" the goddess of love was totally confused. "Half the darkness was taken into a protector know as a Soul Vessel. That person helps her bear the burden," Usagi said with an air of superiority. "Did you..." the tall brunette began. Tentei looked up and shook her head, "An old friend of mine has been born again on this planet. It was she who helped me in the past." "Her name is Hikari," the odango continued, "And she's staying with Rei-chan now." Minako face faulted, "You know, we didn't tell her about this meeting. She still wants to kill you Tentei-san." The girl nodded, "Please call me Ten-chan. Rei-san does not know that Hikari is my friend. She will be against me for a time, but I think she will give in to the wishes of her princess." "I'm surprised Haruka-san isn't out to kill you too. She's usually so protective of me." "Princess Immana? Oh, she's been watching me, but I think she remembers more of the past than you do." "You would be right about that," Haruka's sandy blonde head popped up from the next booth. She smiled reassuringly at the blue haired girl and Tentei smiled back. Michiru's head came up beside her girlfriend's. Usagi looked annoyed and stuck her tongue out at the older women. "How long have you guys been there? You know, spying isn't very nice!" "Whatever 'Ninja of Love'," Makoto mocked. Usagi shot her a dirty look. "We heard everything," Michiru giggled, "thought we already knew most of what you said." "So Rei's the only problem now, huh? Welcome to the group one-chan!"  
  
The fire was ablaze as always and Rei sat before it, gazing intently into its depths. Hikari watched from a distance as her new friend sat still as stone in front of the writhing flames. Suddenly, the priestess gasped at what appeared in the flames. A girl who looked like Hikari first appeared with the sigil of a five-point star on her forehead. The girl's form then melted into a tiger with the same symbol. Finally, the tiger became a girl, this time a rising sun shone out from her brow for an instant and was quickly replaced by a senshi tiara. This repeated several times until it was ended by an image of Tentei, Usagi's so-called sister. Rei looked to the older woman. "Do you know anyone named Tentei? Or Gwenhwyfar?" Caught, Hikari hesitated, "Um, no. Why do you ask?" Rei looked suspiciously at her, then turned back to the fire, "I saw you in the flames with strange symbols on your forehead then she appeared. There must be some connection between you two; the fire never lies." "You have seen my forms in the fire? Then I will no longer hide my past, even at the request of my princess. She is my charge, Second Princess of the Moon Kingdom and heir to the throne of Celestius." "I will not harbor friends of the enemy; you have no place here. Leave." "I stay here on orders of Serenity-sama herself. As a fellow warrior of the realm of fire, I beg you to stay your judgment but a little longer." The dark haired girl nodded curtly and Hikari stood and moved closer to the glowing fire. She closed her eyes and a shudder passed through her body; her form melted into a shimmering pool and then rebuilt itself into a large, cat-like creature. Upon opening her eyes, the glow faded and a white tiger stood where Hikari had been but a moment before. "You see me now in my true form. In my past life, I was Princess Borealis, the Left Fang of Jula on the planet Mau. It is the same planet that Luna and Artemis are originally from, in fact, they are old friends of mine. Now, you will see me as my future self." Again, she closed her eyes, but this time her silhouette melted into that of a human; her eyes opened to reveal not the pale blue but a fiery red-gold. Hikari now stood in a strange sailor fuku. The skirt was in four vertical bands of pink, yellow, violet, and black and her flowing sleeves shimmered between these four colors. A sunflower brooch was pinned to her bow and a twisted silver tiara held an orange gem. "Who are you?" Rei asked, beginning to trust this woman in spite of her questionable friendships. "I am now Sailor Aurora, the Senshi of Joy and the future princess of Oralie in the Celestius System, second in command under Princess Gwenhwyfar. And you are Sailor Mars, no use hiding the fact. She looked shocked for a second. Then with a smirk, she transformed and the two senshi of flame looked at each other. Footsteps sounded in the corridor and for a second the two panicked. A light knock was heard and the door opened a crack to reveal Tentei. "I was told I would find you in here. I need to talk to you, Rei- san."  
  
"Nycia? Nycia, are you okay?" A girl with dark purple hair quickly hid something in a drawer and turned to the visitor. Her black eyes searchingly moved over the girl's face; she suspected nothing. "I am fine sister. Why do you ask?" The white haired girl's face was troubled as she stepped toward her twin, "You have been in here all day. Usually you enjoy walking in the garden with me after luncheon, but you came in here and shut yourself in again." She sat beside the taller girl on the vanity bench, her golden eyes imploring, "This isn't like you, please tell me what's wrong." Nycia laughed hollowly, "Lucia, I am fine. There is nothing wrong with wishing for solitude. Now, don't worry your pretty head about me, baby sister. Head down to supper and I will join you shortly." Lucia grinned, but inwardly she still worried, "I am only younger by two minutes, old hag!" She skipped off and the older twin waited for the sound of returning footsteps, but none came. Satisfied that she was again alone, the dark girl took out a palm-sized glass ball. She intently stared into it and her eyes unfocused; she was lost to the power of the Sphere of Dimensions. "Soon that infinite darkness will be mine to control. I will rule Divin and Cosmos and none shall be able to challenge my unstoppable power!" The glass glowed fiercely and the picture of a young girl reflected in its depths. With a small laugh, Nycia put the ball into her vanity drawer and locked it securely. The dark goddess went down to dinner with a smile on her lips.  
  
Sailor Mars stiffened, but at a pleading look from Aurora she closed her eyes in agreement. Tentei quietly shut the door and sat before the Senshi of the Flames. "Princess Elena," she began, "I know you distrusted me before, and rightfully so. I was out of control then, but it's okay now. I helped you in the recent past, although none of you except Usagi remember. It, I had help then and I have it now with the rebirth of my friend Borealis, whom you now know is Hikari. Try to remember, Rei-san, I was only a little girl then, much younger than I am now in mind if not in age." Rei looked coldly at the pleading figure before her, and then as if she had been hit from behind, she realized what was going on. 'When did you become so cold Rei?' a voice spoke in her mind, 'Can't you see this child means no harm? She needs your help." Guardian Mars was talking to her, telling her what she needed to do. 'Try to remember, Lucis, Sailor Aion, Hodur... It may be painful, but you can do it, break through the memory fade..." And she remembered. "You... you helped us. You're a sailor senshi. I remember it now," she looked at the girl, "You were evil because Hodur corrupted you. That power still lingers inside you because Usagi wasn't powerful enough to heal it completely." Tentei nodded, "No one can. The only way to get rid of it completely would be to kill me. I have come to you, without Serenity-sama's knowledge, to beg of you to end my life. I just wanted you to understand first why it had to be done, so you would not feel any guilt." "No!" Aurora cried out. Rei was taken aback, "Nani, you want me to kill you know? But I've just remembered, just realized what an ass I've been! I can't kill you!" Tears fell from Tentei's eyes, "Please, do now what Usagi could not do before. It is for the good of everyone. I have no right to live if others will suffer. I have no right to live at all! Do it now before more people get hurt!" Sailor Aurora went to the girl and cradled her in her arms, "Shh... No, there must be another way. We will find it; for now, everything is fine." She looked up at Sailor Mars, "You do realize what she has just asked you; do you not? And you do realize that your decision might change the course of the future?" The senshi nodded grimly, "I can't bring myself to do it. I guess Usagi rubbed off on me..." The two senshi detransformed and looked sadly at the blue haired teen as she sobbed into the older woman's lap. They looked up at the sound of loud, numerous footsteps and watched as the door burst open and the senshi streamed in. "Oh Kami-sama!" Usagi screeched as she went to Tentei, "She's alive!" Rei looked hurt for a second as Usagi stared accusingly at her, but she hung her head. Her princess was right. The girl had been in danger coming here. If not for certain circumstances, she might have been dead now. "It's all right. I remember now Usagi, what she did for us. Guardian Mars helped me remember..." "You broke through the memory fade too?" the blonde asked in disbelief. The priestess nodded, tears streaking down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry..." Usagi went to her friend and hugged her, "Shh... It's okay, I understand..."  
  
Later that evening, in solemn ceremony, two new senshi were introduced into the team. First came Sailor Aurora and Tentei followed her in a fuku stranger still. The skirt was in two ruffled tiers of ice blue and lilac and a pink posy brooch sat on her lilac front bow. Here sleeves seemed to be made of feathers and her long, blue back bow fell almost to the ribbons on her blue ballet shoes. A silver twisted tiara, identical to Aurora's excepting the ice blue stone, rested on her brow. The two senshi stood in the center of the circle of the Sol Senshi, as their new teammates linked hands. "We welcome you, Sailors Aurora and Comet!" 


End file.
